HS: 02 205 Proclivity for Creativity
by prettyvioletfire
Summary: HS: A High School Experience Like No Other. Season 2, Episode 5. It's time for the High School's Creative Awareness Night. Phineas wants to make something special and he insist Ferb help, whether he wants to or not. Meanwhile Vanessa admits her feelings.
1. I

**HS: A High School Experience Like No Other**

02 205: Proclivity for Creativity

I

The sun was slowing ascending into the sky as Phineas tiredly made his way down the stairs. As he approached the kitchen he could hear his parents talking softly.

"…still two months away. You don't have to put all of your focus on this," said his mother.

"I do have to say you're taking this to a bit of an extreme level," he heard his stepfather add. "You've already compromised your eyes, you know. Perhaps a bit of a break from books would do you some good."

He entered the kitchen and found Ferb sitting at the table eating breakfast while his mother was making coffee and his stepfather was thumbing through the newspaper. As soon as he came in the conversation stopped.

"Uh…did I interrupt something?" he asked curiously.

"No no, nothing for you to worry about," said Linda.

"Well in that case good morning everyone," he smiled.

"Morning, son," said Lawrence.

"How is it that Ferb beats me to the breakfast table each morning?" Phineas said with a chuckle. "I got up extra early today and he's still here before me!"

"Not to worry, he beats your mum and me as well," said Lawrence.

"Why are _you_ up so early?" asked Linda. "We weren't expecting you down here for another fifteen minutes."

"I need to finish printing out the Creative Awareness posters for school," said Phineas, getting himself a bowl for cereal. Creative Awareness Night was an event at the school where students showcased their creativity through the arts and had the chance to win an award for their entrances. "You're both gonna come, right?"

"It's on Friday, right?" said Linda, sitting down.

"Yup," Phineas nodded. "I still haven't decided what I'm going to enter, yet. I was thinking of doing a tribute for the teachers, since they work so hard."

"That's a great idea," said Lawrence.

"And I'm sure whatever you make will win," said Linda.

"It's not about winning, mom," said Phineas. "It's about expressing yourself through creative means. The fact that Ferb and I always win ribbons each year is just a nice perk."

"What will you be entering this year, Ferb?" Lawrence asked his son.

"Nothing," said Ferb.

"Really? Well that's a shame," said Lawrence.

"What? You're not going to do anything?" said a very shocked Phineas. "Why not?"

Ferb just shrugged and continued eating his breakfast.

"Come on, Ferb, we always make stuff for Creative Awareness night," said Phineas. "And you haven't done anything creative in, like, months! So you've got to make something."

"He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to," said Linda.

"That's the thing, I don't understand why he wouldn't want to," said Phineas who then turned back to his brother. "You always love this kind of stuff. Why wouldn't you want to be a part of Creative Awareness night? What could be more important than celebrating and supporting creativity? I mean, it's what we're all about!"

"Well it's not what I'm about this year," said Ferb, standing up.

"But-" Phineas began but his mother cut him off.

"Phineas enough," said Linda.

"If Ferb doesn't want to take part in the school's Creative Awareness night then he doesn't have to," said Lawrence.

Phineas couldn't believe that his parents were supporting Ferb. Didn't it worry them that his brother was suddenly not taking part in things he usually enjoyed? Didn't they see that he was starting to act completely different from his usual self? Well he certainly saw it and if his parents weren't going to help him he'd have to turn to his friends for assistance. Surely they'd noticed the changes in Ferb as well.

He managed to keep his mouth shut until lunch but as soon as they were all assembled he let it all out. He was especially riled up when he was told that Ferb was taking his lunch in the Guidance Counselors' office once again. "Guys we need to do something about Ferb. This morning he told me he's not gonna do anything for Creative Awareness. I mean, does that sound like the Ferb we know and love? He's always loved doing art pieces and performances for Creative Awareness. We need to talk some sense into him."

"Ferb is not participating in Creative Awareness?" said Baljeet, surprised. "But he always wins so many ribbons! Why would he give up the chance to add more awards to his collection? I know I certainly would not do such a thing."

"Well…maybe he's just not into it this year," Isabella offered, wondering how she was going to talk Phineas down from this. "Or he wants to give other kids a chance to win. Think about it, Phineas, you could win every single ribbon!"

"I don't care about winning ribbons," said Phineas. "I care about what's happening to my brother. I mean, is it just me? Don't you guys see that his personality is changing? I'm really starting to get worried."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about the old Beanpole," said Buford. "He never had much of a personality to begin with so who cares if it's changing?"

"Are you kidding? Ferb's got more personality than all of us put together!" said Phineas. "You guys might not see it because he tends to be so subtle with his expressions, but he's really got an incredible personality. Or at least he did until recently. Honestly, haven't any of you noticed how strange he's been?"

"I know I have," said Baljeet. "I believe it started as soon as you and Isabella began dating."

"That's not why he's acting different," said Isabella firmly.

"How do you know?" asked Buford. "I mean you did take his best friend away from him."

"I did not! Anyway I had Ferb's blessing," said Isabella. "Look, Phineas, people change as they grow up. We're in the midst of puberty so of course we're all going to change a bit. And, in some cases, some teens go through drastic changes. Ferb's probably just one of them. I don't think there's anything you need to be worried about."

"Well if this is the person he's turning into then I'm going to have a very lonely adulthood," Phineas sulked. "My best friend doesn't want anything to do with me anymore and doesn't even seem to share in the interests we've always loved together."

Isabella hated seeing her beloved boyfriend slipping into a depressed state so she tried to steer his mind towards other things. "So, speaking of Creative Awareness, have you figured out what you're going to do?"

"Well I kinda wanna do a tribute thing for the teachers but I'm not sure how I'm gonna go about it yet," said Phineas, still a little down. "I'm not sure if I want to do a collage or a painting or write a poem or something else. I mean there are so many mediums it's hard to choose. But whatever I choose I really want to be able to give one to all of the teachers. Which means if I do a painting I'll have to reproduce it a few dozen times. Same with any other style I choose."

"It would probably be easier to just thank each of the teachers in person," said Baljeet.

"Or record yourself thanking them and give them each a copy of it," said Buford.

Phineas' eyes lit up as soon as he head that. "That's it! I know what I'm gonna do! I'll write a thank you message and videotape it being read. But it won't just be from me, each word will be delivered by a different student in the school! So everyone will be thanking them one word at a time."

"Ooh, that's creative alright," Isabella smiled.

"Oh, it gets better," Phineas smirked. "I'm going to have Ferb be in charge of filming it."

"But he has said he does not wish to take part," said Baljeet.

"True but he created his own class where he's supposed to be working on writing and making films," said Phineas. "This is what he's supposed to be doing during that class time slot so he can't say no."

"But what if he says he's already working on something?" asked Isabella.

"He can put it off for a few days," said Phineas. "Especially for his brother and best friend who he's been blowing off since the beginning of the year. I'm gonna guilt him into this easily."

"Ooh, that's dastardly clever," Buford grinned with approval.

"Phineas you're starting to scare me," said Isabella. "Since when do you want to guilt anyone into anything they don't want to? I think this whole Ferb business is making you go a little crazy."

"Well if Ferb's allowed to go through a drastic personality change then so am I," said Phineas stubbornly.

* * *

Vanessa let out her third sigh during her shift as she picked up another order and brought it over to the table it belonged to. Lately she hadn't been feeling like her usual self. She would go so far as to classify herself as melancholy. And she'd been this way since that infamous Valentine's Day. The valentine Ferb had sent her still sat under her pillow and every once in a while, especially after she'd had a hard day at college or work, she'd take her hidden treasure out and read it over once again. And every time she let her eyes glance over his beautiful words she'd feel herself falling deeper into a chasm of emotion for him. The knowledge of her growing affection and the reality of what that could mean was playing havoc with her mental state and it was starting show more and more each day. And today her mood turned crabby when she saw her father and his nemesis walk into the diner.

"Dad why are you here?" she sighed.

"What? I just came to get a snack with Perry the Platypus," said Doofenshmirtz, hurt that his daughter still loathed his presence at times even after their months of therapy. "We had a friendly game of checkers and now we're having a friendly snack together."

"Oh…well go sit down and I'll be over once I handle that table over there's check," she said and hurried off.

She couldn't believe her father was able to have a friendly game of checkers with his nemesis but as he hadn't done anything outrageous lately she supposed it was possible. She got the table she'd been working change from their bill then headed over to where her father and Perry were sitting.

"What do you want?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Goodness you're in a bad way today," said Doofenshmirtz. "Is something wrong? You know you can tell me."

"It's none of your business," she said. "Now order something or I'm leaving."

"Okay, okay," said Doofenshmirtz. "Well I think today I'd like a coffee and a slice of blueberry pie to go with it."

"Fine, and what do you want?" she asked, turning to the platypus. Perry pointed to his menu where it read, 'apple pie' and 'coffee'. "Okay, it'll be up in a second." She took two other tables' their orders, handled the bill at a third, then picked up the pie slices for her father and Perry. She returned and practically threw the plates in front of them. "A slice of blueberry, a slice of apple, and two coffees. Enjoy." And with that she turned to leave, but was stopped by the feeling of something holding onto her apron.

"Vanessa, sweetie," Doofenshmirtz said in a calm voice.

"What?" she snapped, causing her father to cringe in fear.

"U-Um, I think you should take a moment to relax," he suggested nervously. "I don't like to see you this way. And I think you're starting to scare your diner patrons."

She turned her head and the other customers quickly avoided her gaze. She hated to think that her attitude was affecting the people who she was hoping to get tips from. She sighed and said, "I'm sorry dad. I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Well sit down and tell me about it," said Doofenshmirtz, patting the spot next to him.

She looked around and decided it was probably best if she took a minute to calm down. She sat next to her father and rubbed her face. "I don't know, I've just got so much on my mind."

"Like what?" asked Doofenshmirtz.

"Well my school work's piling up and it's hard to balance it all out while still working," she said. "And…well there's other stuff, too."

"What other stuff? Come on, you can tell me," Doofenshmirtz pushed.

"Trust me, dad, I don't think you'd want to hear about this," said Vanessa.

"Of course I do! No matter what it is I want to know so that I can help you," said Doofenshmirtz.

"Alright, you asked for it," said Vanessa with a sigh...


	2. II

II

Once lunch was over Isabella ran to find Ferb before Phineas and the others did. She hoped to find him still in the Guidance Counselors' office. And she managed to catch him just as he was exiting.

"Ferb!" she cried and stopped short of running into him, panting. "Thank goodness I caught you. We need to talk." She pushed him back into the office and closed the door behind them. She didn't really care that the guidance counselors were there to hear. "Phineas is _really_ close to cracking and there's no way I can talk him down from this one. For his Creative Awareness project he wants to film students in the school giving a thank you speech to the teachers one word at a time. And he wants _you_ to do the filming. He's justified it by saying that since you have a class that's devoted to making movies anyway you can't refuse. And if you don't do this he's going to get even more suspicious and worried about you. Look, I think it's time you threw him a bone and did this project with him. I know you want to create space between you but it's driving him crazy. And think of it this way, if you do this one little thing I'm sure he'll leave you alone for a while afterwards."

Ferb took all this in then said simply, "I'll take care of it."

Isabella blinked then said, "You'll take care of it? What does that mean?"

He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and made his way out of the Guidance Counselors' office for the second time. She was quickly right behind him and as they turned the corner came face to face with Phineas, Baljeet, and Buford.

"Oh Ferb! I was coming to see you," said Phineas. "Look I…Isabella? You said you were going to your next class. Why are you with Ferb?"

"Oh, uh, just happened to run into him on my way," Isabella said and began t back away. "Well I've got to get going. I suggest you four do the same or else you'll get a tardy mark!" And with that she took off down the hall, hoping Phineas didn't suspect anything.

"That is what I have been saying," Baljeet complained. "Please let me go to class!" He tried to depart but Buford was quick to grab him and keep him from moving anywhere.

"Oh no, you're gonna experience what it's like to get in trouble for once," Buford smirked.

"Actually, guys, you can go," said Phineas. "This is between Ferb and me."

"Alright, come on nerd," said Buford, throwing the smaller teen over his shoulder. "We're gonna sneak into gym class. I hear they're doing dodge ball today."

"No! Not dodge ball!" Baljeet cried as Buford carried him off.

This left the stepbrothers alone in the hallway. Phineas had planned on being assertive and telling his brother off for how different he'd been acting lately. But upon seeing his best friend he lost his nerve almost immediately. How could he be angry at him? This was his brother; the guy who had been right by his side since his earliest memories. But then he remembered his frustration from earlier and that gave him enough courage to at least start talking.

"So, uh, how come you didn't have lunch with us again?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to Mrs. McGregor," said Ferb.

"About what?" Phineas asked curiously.

"Just this and that," Ferb replied.

"You know, you seem to have lunch in there a lot these days," said Phineas. "And it's hard for me to believe that all you're doing is talking about this and that. You don't like to talk to anybody, apart from me. Are you still talking to her about choosing a college?"

"No," said Ferb. This was true as he'd already chosen which university he was hoping to attend that fall if all went well.

"Then what do you talk about?" asked Phineas.

"I just like to have an intelligent conversation with an adult from time to time, that's all," said Ferb.

Phineas' jaw nearly dropped. "Are you saying that you don't intelligent conversations with me? Or with our friends? I can see you saying that about Buford but to lump us all in together? Why would you say something like that?"

Ferb sighed and pinched his brow. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Phineas asked hotly.

Ferb thought for a moment then realized he could use this to his advantage. "I'm sorry, I only meant that I've grown bored with the usual high school conversations our table of friends often has. I didn't mean that the conversations themselves were unintelligent, just uninteresting to me. But, you're right, I haven't had my lunch with you and our friends for quite some time. How about I make it up to you? Is there any sort of favor you need?"

Phineas' anger withered away as his best friend apologized and he began to feel a bit silly for getting so riled up. Upon hearing the offering of a favor his eyes lit up. "Actually, yeah! For Creative Awareness I'm going to write a thank you speech for the teachers and I want each word of it to be delivered by a different student. And I want to record it so I can give a copy to each of the teachers after words. So I need you to give up a few days of your personal film class to help me with it, since you've got all of the filming equipment and knowhow."

"Alright, you write up the speech and get students to volunteer," said Ferb. "My film class is tomorrow at 10:30 so have the speech ready by then and tell your volunteers to come to the AV room. I'll get it filmed, edited, and ready for Friday." And with that he headed towards his next class that he was surely late for. Not that he'd get in trouble for it. It was hard to get angry at a student who was so academically gifted he was in the running to take the Povenmire test.

"Wow, thanks Ferb!" Phineas called after him, smiling widely. "We can talk about it more after school. This is gonna be awesome!" He turned and began to run off towards his own class. He couldn't believe how easy that went. Ferb didn't put up a fight at all. Maybe he was finally getting over his stubbornness and was ready to have fun again.

* * *

…Vanessa prepared herself mentally then told her father what the other issue on her mind was. "I've got guy troubles. There, you happy?"

"Well of course I'm not happy," said Doofenshmirtz. "But, then again, I suppose it depends on what kind of troubles you're talking about. So what's the deal? Is there a boy being mean to you? Because if there is you know I can take care of them with one quick push of a button."

"No it's nothing like that," said Vanessa. "And even if it was I still wouldn't want you to take care of them. You've sent enough people to other dimensions."

"Then what kind of troubles are you having with this boy?" asked Doofenshmirtz curiously. "Come on, let's have a mature conversation about it like you've always wanted. I'm all ears so shoot!"

"Well it's sort of complicated," said Vanessa. "This kid…I mean this guy, he's like the perfect man. The kind of guy you'd actually want me to be with, dad. We're talking kind, thoughtful, scary smart, and destined to be a great success. And…well he's really cute, too."

"Really? Well he does sound dreamy," said Doofenshmirtz, thinking about the description. "So if he's so perfect then what's the problem?"

Vanessa gave a sad laugh and said, "There's a bit of an age gap between us."

"An age gap?" Doofenshmirtz asked. "How much of an age gap?"

"…Six years," Vanessa admitted.

"So he's…28?" said Doofenshmirtz.

"Do the math the other way around," Vanessa sighed.

The scientist thought for a second then exclaimed, "He's 16?"

"Hence my dilemma," said Vanessa.

"Your perfect man is a teenager?" her father asked. "Have you lost your mind?"

"But he's not like a teenager! I mean he is one but he certainly doesn't act like any teenager I've ever known," Vanessa defended. "Look, I know that it's crazy and wrong but I've been trying to fight my feelings back for months now and it's starting to take a toll on me. And it's not like he's pushy or manipulating me into liking him, I genuinely think I'm starting to fall for him."

"Well we're just going to have to nip this in the bud," said Doofenshmirtz. "Vanessa I forbid you from being in any contact with this 16 year old fellow."

"Yeah, that solves all of my problems," Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I thought you wanted to have a mature conversation about this."

"Well I did until you told me you were all gaga and in love with a 16 year old boy!" said Doofenshmirtz.

"I didn't say I was in love with him!" said Vanessa. "It's just a crush. And don't act like I'm happy about this because I'm not. Like I said, I've been running away from this for months. I'd like nothing more than to get rid of these feelings. And the last thing I'd ever want to admit is that I'm in love with Ferb Fletcher."

Perry instantly choked and spat out his mouthful of coffee.


	3. III

III

Friday had come and that meant it was Creative Awareness Night. The school was open to any and all who wanted to attend and students were all about showcasing their pieces. Some had paintings and sculptures, others recited poems or short stories they wrote, and even a few performed theatrical monologues. Phineas was all smiles as he watched the auditorium fill with people who were preparing to see his submission. Among them were his parents and his friends. He quickly ran backstage to check on Ferb.

"So is it going to be good to go?" he asked anxiously.

Ferb nodded as he hooked up the projector and adjusted it properly.

"I can't thank you enough for helping me out with this," said Phineas. "I really think the teachers are going to love it. Did you burn the DVD copies?"

Ferb nodded.

"Did you label them?"

Ferb nodded.

"Did you give them to Isabella and Baljeet to pass out after the presentation?"

Ferb nodded.

"Awesome, this is going to be great," Phineas squealed. "Okay I think they're closing the doors which means I've gotta go introduce it. Wish me luck!" Ferb gave him a thumb's up and watched his best friend fix his outfit then step out onto the stage.

Upon seeing him the entire audience began to clap. Phineas waved to them quickly and walked over to the set up microphone. "Hello everyone. I'd like to thank you all for coming out here tonight to support creativity. I'm a big believer in creativity so this is one of my favorite events of the year. And when I was thinking about what I'd like to make this year I knew the theme immediately; teachers. So, without further ado, I give you my dedication to the teachers of Danville High."

He exited the stage and everyone clapped. Ferb quickly ran onto the stage to grab the microphone then got to work putting the short film up onto the screen. After the title 'Thank You' came onto the screen the first student to speak the first word was shown. And it was Phineas.

"Can. You. Imagine. A. World. Without. Teachers? A. World. Where. No. One. Dedicated. Themselves. To. Educating. Children. And. Broadening. Their. Minds? Without. Teachers. Schools. Would. Be. Nothing. More. Than. Daycares. Schools. Aren't. Just. A. Place. Where. Parents. Drop. Their. Kids. Off. To. Be. Free. Of. Them. For. A. Few. Hours. A. School. Is. A. House. Of. Knowledge. And. A. Teacher. Is. A. Guide. Through. That. House. And. Without. A. Guide. No. One. Would. Know. Which. Path. In. Life. To. Choose. Teachers. Sacrifice. Much. Of. Their. Time. And. Money. To. Make. Sure. That. Students. Like. Me. Get. The. Education. We. Need. To. Succeed. In. Life. And. We've. Become. So. Used. To. Them. That. We've. Forgotten. To. Thank. Them. At. The. End. Of. Each. Day. For. A. Job. Well. Done. Well. I'm. Saying. It. Now. Thank. You. Thank. You. To. All. Of. The. Teachers. Who. Have. Helped. Me. Learn. To. Read. How. To. Write. How. To. Do. Math. How. To. Appreciate. History. Thank. You. For. All. You've. Done. To. Make. Sure. I. Become. The. Best. Person. That. I. Can. Be. Thank. You."

The film was beautiful put together and edited. Each face blended into the next seamlessly and each word delivered flowed like it really was only one person talking. And beneath the dialogue there was even soft originally scored music. Phineas was exceedingly proud and had to hand it to Ferb, he certainly knew how to make a movie.

The last word was delivered by Ferb and then faded out. As the credits began to roll and list all 180 students who had participated in the film the faces of all of the teachers were shown. Needless to say, everyone clapped and cheered. Phineas was credited as the writer and person with the original idea, but all other credits went to Ferb. More than a few people were curious as to why the film was only entered into the Creative Awareness Night under Phineas' name. And while the credits rolled Isabella and Baljeet passed out the DVD copies to all of the teachers.

After Phineas' movie there were a few other film entries and then the time came for the ribbons to be awarded. Isabella won a first place ribbon for her poem about a certain redheaded boy she was dedicated to. Baljeet won a second place ribbon for his performance of a dance from his favorite Bollywood film. Even Buford won a third place ribbon for his sculpture of a kid getting a wedgie made out of used gum.

"And now for the final award of the evening," said the Principal. "This award, the 'Highest Honor in the Field of Creativity' award, has always been awarded to the student whose entry touched the most hearts and really showcased their imagination and passion for art, no matter what form it may be in. So this year it should come as no surprise that this honor has been awarded to…Phineas Flynn."

Everyone cheered and Phineas made his way up onto the stage to accept his ribbon. Linda and Lawrence felt very proud while Ferb felt relieved, since he knew with this favor done he'd be able to have his space back and return to studying. The sixteen year old took the stage and was handed his ribbon.

"Wow, thank you so much!" he smiled.

"Anything you'd like to say?" asked the principal.

"Um, I guess I'd just like to give a shout out to someone without whom my film wouldn't have been possible," said Phineas. Everyone was sure they already know who he was going to say and looked towards Ferb. Said tall teen just kept his eyes on the stage, his lips slightly tight. "And that someone is…all of the teachers!" There was a slight pause before everyone began to clap. "Yes, I'd like to thank every single one of you for all you've done and what you continue to do. There's no one better to be inspired by than a teacher. So thank you."

Everyone clapped and watched him leave the stage and head back to his seat. Many eyes fell on Ferb and wondered how he'd react to being overlooked. But, as usual, Ferb's facial expression was unreadable. And when Phineas took his seat next to him Ferb clapped him on the back as a form of support and praise. The only change to Ferb's expression was an ever so slight amusement in his eyes.

* * *

Perry lay in his little bed, dreaming of his younger days of glory, while his host family was attending the high school's Creative Awareness Night. He was glad for an evening alone to nap. He was still reeling from the shocking news that Doofenshmirtz's daughter had a crush on Ferb and obviously vice versa. Since he'd found this out he'd been riddled with anxiety over the fear of his two worlds colliding. Vanessa knew about his identity. She could tell Ferb. Then he'd have to be relocated to another family. And, at his age, he just wanted to live out his days with the lovely Flynn-Fletchers who loved him so dearly.

He twitched and chattered in his sleep and his tail flapped a few times. But he was awoken out of his lovely dreams by the sound of his watch beeping. He jumped awake with a start and it took him a moment to realize it was his watch that was going off. He quickly turned it off and, after a good stretch, looked around for the closest entrance to his lair. He ran over to the oven and, after looking around for any nearby humans, opened the door and climbed inside. Fortunately instead of being cooked the grill inside descended down to his base of operations. Major Monogram's head was already on the screen as he made his way over to his chair.

"Good evening, Agent P," said the Major. "Sorry about the late call but we think this is pretty urgent. Our sources have uncovered that Doofenshmirtz is building a new inator. And while this usually wouldn't be so out of the ordinary we've also discovered that he's been doing research on Ferb Fletcher, a member of your host family. We think you should head over there as quickly as you can and find out why he's targeting the teenager."

Perry had a bad feeling about this and headed out. The last thing he needed was for Doofenshmirtz to use some cockamamie inator on Ferb and end up blowing his cover. He jumped onto his scooter and rode as quickly as he could to the Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc. building, but not before stopping off to pick something up first.

Once he arrived he took the elevator up and let himself inside without even knocking. He spotted his nemesis grumbling to himself while he sat at a computer and seemed to be programming a large machine Perry could only assume was the new inator. And once the scientist heard the door open he turned and stood up.

"Perry the Platypus? What're you doing here?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. "This isn't one of our scheduled days to meet and it's after eight!"

Perry pointed to the inator and chattered.

"Oh what, this? This has nothing to do with you or taking over Danville," said Doofenshmirtz. "I'm building an Emotion-Deletion-inator to shoot at that little hoodlum that's playing havoc with my little girl's heart. I'm going to take his emotions away so that he stops pursuing her and if Vanessa shows him any interest back he won't care. Now shoo so I can keep working."

He turned and went to get back to his programming but Perry was quick to pull the plug on the computer.

"What the-Perry the Platypus why did you do that?" Doofenshmirtz frowned. "I already told you that this doesn't concern you. What do you care if I de-emotion some sixteen year old brat? I'm just protecting Vanessa from getting involved in a relationship that's doomed to fail, no matter how perfect he may seem for her."

Perry shook his head and chattered.

"Well I don't care if you disapprove, you don't know what it's like to have children," said Doofenshmirtz. "And if you don't stop messing about with my things I'm going to trap you and send you on your way myself."

The secret agent frowned and walked over to the inator-in-progress. He easily found the self destruct button and went to push it. But before he could Doofenshmirtz had lunged at him and tackled him away, bruising them both.

"You meddling platypus," Doofenshmirtz moaned and rubbed his arm. "You should've left when I told you to. Now I've got to look for something to trap you with."

While the scientist looked about, Perry reached under his hat and brought out the item he'd purchased on his way over. He held it up for his nemesis to see.

"What's that you've got there?" asked Doofenshmirtz, leaning in closer to see that it was a book. "_So Your Child is an Adult?_ What is this, a parenting book?"

Perry nodded and gave it to the man, indicating it was for him.

"I don't need a book about parenting," said Doofenshmirtz. "I need a way to stop my daughter from dating." Though he didn't want it, he opened the book none-the-less and thumbed through it.

While Doofenshmirtz's attention was in the book Perry quickly went over to the Emotion-Deletion-inator and pressed the self destruct button. It only took three seconds for the machine to combust into nothing more than dust and smoke. This certainly got the scientist's attention and he jumped at the explosion.

"No! Oh darn it, you distracted me with this pointless, yet cleverly written, book," said Doofenshmirtz, throwing the book on the ground and crossing his arms.

Perry picked the book up and handed it back to his nemesis. He tapped the cover twice, indicating that it was probably best that he read it, then headed out the front door from whence he came. Doofenshmirtz continued to pout a bit then sat down and begrudgingly began to read the book.

"Chapter One: Learning to Let Go…"


	4. IV

IV

Phineas felt very satisfied and very proud of himself. He hadn't meant to win the grandest ribbon of the night but he was glad people appreciated his work. When they arrived home he headed up to his room and placed the ribbon on the wall among all the others he'd won in the past. He was just about to change into his pajamas when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he called.

The door opened and his mother and father walked in.

"Phineas, can we have a moment?" asked Linda.

"Of course," Phineas smiled. "What's up?"

"Well we were wondering if you were planning on thanking Ferb," said Linda.

"For what?" Phineas asked, confused.

"For helping you with your film," said Linda. "I understand that you wanted to thank the teachers, again, when you won but you should have thanked Ferb as well."

"After all, it does seem that he did a lot of work," said Lawrence. "According to the credits, that is. And he was not planning on doing anything for Creative Awareness at all. So a quick mention of him would've been nice."

"Well he did offer to help me," said Phineas. "It's not like I made him. But I guess you're right. I should go thank him."

"Good idea," said Linda.

His parents stepped aside and let him exit his room. He headed down the hall to Ferb's room and knocked on the door. "Ferb, can I talk to you?" He waited a moment and the door opened to reveal his brother. "Hey, I just wanted to thank you for helping me with my film. If it wasn't for your assistance it would never have looked as good as it did. Thanks a lot, bro."

"Assistance?" said Ferb. "I didn't assist you. I did 90% of the work. That's not assisting, Phineas."

"Oh," said the redhead, a little surprised. "Well, uh, thanks for doing 90% of the work, then?"

"Don't worry about it," Ferb replied with a slight sigh. "I'm used to not being acknowledged for my work when you're involved. Anyway, I'm glad you came to talk to me because I have something I need to tell you."

"Oh? What is it?" asked Phineas, curiously.

"I just wanted to let you know that this will be the last time I help you with a project," said Ferb plainly. "From now on you're not to ask for my 'assistance' as you call it. All of your brilliant ideas are to be created by your own hands, not mine."

Phineas was absolutely stunned to hear this and he searched his brother's expression for any sign that this was a joke or empty threat. But, to his astonishment, his best friend's face remained completely serious. "Ferb…why don't you wanna do projects with me anymore?"

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I've got better things to do with my time right now," said Ferb. "And, besides, it's about time you learned to rely on yourself. You're capable of everything I am, you just need to focus. You're able bodied and brilliant so there's no reason you should be coming to me to do the work. And if you do need help you've got Isabella who's as clever as they come."

Phineas tried to take all of this in but he refused. "No, I don't accept this," he said, shaking his head. "You're my best friend! How am I supposed to do amazing things without you by my side? I never would've thought about doing half of the things we've done if you didn't have my back. You're the reason I have the courage to be who I am and do the impossible. I need you by my side!"

Ferb placed his hands on his best friend's shoulders. "Phineas, you don't need me as much as you think. You're capable of amazing things all on your own. And if you don't believe that then believe in me. Because I believe in you."

Phineas wasn't sure what to say after that. He'd suspected that Ferb no longer wanted to be a part of his projects since the beginning of the year but to hear him actually say it was far more horrible than he had imagined. He couldn't picture himself doing impossible things without Ferb by his side.

"You're really not gonna work with me anymore?" Phineas said, sadly.

Ferb sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"But…what if I have a question regarding something I'm working on," said Phineas. "Can I ask for your opinion or advice?"

"You don't need my opinion or advice," said Ferb. "Just trust in yourself."

"But I'm not as naturally good with tools as you are," said Phineas.

"That doesn't mean you don't know how to use them," said Ferb. "And you'll get better the more you work with them. Before you know it you'll be as handy as I am."

Phineas didn't like any of this but somehow the positive and reassuring tone in Ferb's voice gave him the slightest bit of hope that this wasn't the end of the world. Ferb was very wise and if he believed that he didn't need his help then there was a good chance that it was true.

"So…you really think I can do my ideas all by myself?" Phineas asked.

"I know you can," Ferb said firmly.

Phineas took this in then nodded and softly said, "Okay. I understand."

Ferb gave him a small smile and said, "Hey, just because I'm not going to work with you on your projects doesn't mean I won't still have your back. No matter what we're still brothers, right?"

Phineas smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah. We'll always be brothers."

After that the redhead ventured back to his room. Upon closing the door behind him he walked over to his bed and collapsed upon it. He felt absolutely rotten and low. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed his girlfriend's number.

"Isabella, I think I was just dumped."

**Credits**

Written by …prettyvioletfire

Characters by…Dan Povenmire, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh

**AN:**** And the drama continues. I used this episode to address a real problem I have with the show, which is that though Ferb does the bulk of the work he often gets little credit. Anyone can have an idea but not just anyone can make that idea a reality. Anyway, we finally see Vanessa succumbing to her feelings even though she desperately doesn't want to. And now Perry knows! Things are only going to get more intense from here. And in the next episode the moment we've all been waiting for is going to arrive: Phineas is going to find out Ferb's secret!**


End file.
